It's been quite a week for Pat Hickey. Filmed being arrested in the nip from his hotel room after being charged of involvement in ticket touting during the Rio Olympics-and thus publicly humiliated-Hickey has since temporarily stepped down from roles as head of the Olympic Council of Ireland, president of the European Olympic Committees and senior member of the International Olympic Committee.
In the wake of his arrest, some have expressed views on Hickey that aren't exactly complimentary, with David Walsh of the Sunday Times among those to weigh in.
Rio police went to Mr Hickey's OC of Ireland hotel room, he was scantily dressed. Police have released first pic. pic.twitter.com/7dcXmmIFf5
— David Walsh (@DavidWalshST) August 17, 2016
Indeed, Broadsheet.ie recovered an article Walsh wrote twenty years ago that heavily critiqued Hickey's activity as OCI chief and outlined activity undergone by Hickey that should perhaps have raised questions over his position. And it's not just Walsh who was critical of Hickey around that time.
Former world champion Eamonn Coghlan wasn't too impressed with comments Hickey made during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, that "second raters need not apply" for the Olympics in Athens four years later; Coghlan opined that Hickey himself was a "second rate" athlete (Hickey competed internationally in judo).
Coghlan also made the valid point that Baron de Coubertin, considered the father of the modern Olympic Games and IOC founder, would "be turning in his grave" if he heard Hickey's expressed belief that athletes saying "I took part" (as opposed to winning medals) was no longer good enough.
Just for the hell of it, here's an example of why Eamonn Coghlan himself wasn't a "second rater" (even though he never won an Olympic medal).
h/t Richie McCormack
